PreSlash
by Red Ranjuh
Summary: Prequel to 'Inseparable'. Tommy and Adam before the slash.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the companion piece to "Inseparable". In one of the early chapters, Tommy briefly mentions how Adam made him feel after they first met. This isn't exactly slash but it is pre-slash (hence the title). There is, unfortunately, some Tommy/Kim. I don't own the characters and this is an original piece. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.

Pre-Slash

Part 1

Adam turned the combination lock for the 20th time in five minutes. He groaned and softly hit his head on the locker door when the lock didn't come open. He sighed and attempted to put in the combination again.

'_I can't believe I'm gonna be late because I can't open this stupid locker,' _Adam thought as he failed to open the lock once again.

"Adam? Hi!" a voice called from his side.

"Hey Kim," Adam greeted leaning against his impenetrable locker.

"Is this your locker?" Kim asked opening her own combination lock with no problems.

Adam exhaled a large sigh and nodded. "Yeah, this is me."

"Cool. This is prime real estate. It's so close to everything," Kim said.

Adam didn't realized that locker location was so important. Back in Stone Canyon, a locker was just a locker. He opened his mouth to reply but shut it when he saw someone creeping up behind the unsuspecting Pink Ranger.

"Guess who." Tommy said covering Kim's eyes from behind.

"Well that's not hard…Jeff," Kim said.

Adam snickered at the shocked look on Tommy's face. When Tommy's hands uncovered her eyes, Kim turned around and laughed.

"Who's Jeff?" Tommy asked with a frown.

"No one. I'm just joking with you, Handsome," Kim replied.

"Yeah, right," Tommy said eyeing her suspiciously. He happened to glance at the person standing behind her. "Hey, man." He reached his hand out towards their new Black Ranger.

"Hey," Adam replied politely shaking Tommy's hand.

"You're right on time. I was just telling Adam how our lockers have great location. We're close to an exit, the cafeteria, the stairs, and a water fountain," Kim said pointing out all of the places she just mentioned.

"Yeah, you got one of the better ones," Tommy agreed.

The bell rang throughout the hallway and everyone started to walk to their first class.

"I'll catch up to you guys later. Bye," Kim said kissing Tommy's cheek and walking off.

"So I guess I'll see you later right?" Tommy asked looking at Adam.

Adam smiled and nodded his head. "Yup."

"Alright," Tommy said turning to walk towards his first class.

Adam pushed himself off of his locker only to realize that he still hadn't gotten it open.

'_Fuck!' _

He dropped his book bag on the floor and desperately tried to pulled and shake the accursed combination lock open. Hopefully, the stupid thing would break.

"Open sesame! Abracadabra! Please open!" Adam begged as he hit the front of the locker.

Tommy stopped walking and looked back to where Adam was obviously having trouble with his locker. He couldn't just leave the poor guy in the empty hallway on his first day. "Need some help?"

Adam stopped pulling on the lock when he heard Tommy's question. He laughed nervously and scratched his head. "Yeah. I can't get this thing open."

"They get stuck sometime," Tommy said walking up to the locker. "What's your combo?"

"Uh, 38, 05, 18," Adam said from memory.

Tommy carefully entered the numbers on the lock. He gave a rough tug to the lock and it popped open. "There ya go."

Adam's eyes open widely in astonishment. "Oh wow! Thanks."

"Anytime. What's your first class?"

Adam put his book bag in the locker and pulled out a book, a binder, and his schedule. He looked at the paper and to see where he was supposed to go first.

"Uh, English 2?"

"With Mr. Wilkinson?" Tommy asked

Adam checked his schedule again and nodded nervously.

"Aw man! Cool, that's where I'm going. I'll show you where it is," Tommy said brightly.

"Ok," Adam replied quietly. He followed the White Ranger down the long hall, around a corner , and into an open classroom.

Tommy entered the class sending a wave or a high five to a few people. Adam bashfully stood near the open the door with his books in one hand and his other in the pocket of his blue jeans.

"Hey man," Tommy greeted taking a seat in a desk two rows over from his other new friend.

"Hey" Rocky replied.

Tommy looked around when he didn't see Adam standing next to him. He caught sight of the new Black Ranger hovering around the door like a mouse in a room full of snakes.

"He's a shy one, isn't he?"

Rocky gave Tommy a questioning look. He followed Tommy's line of sight and saw Adam standing near the door. He sighed and shook his head. "Always has been," Rocky replied. "Adam! Over here, dude!"

Adam perked up when he heard his name. He saw Rocky waving him over from across the room. "Excuse me," Adam said squeezing through a few desk as he made his way over to Rocky and Tommy. He took a seat in the empty desk between them and visually relaxed. "Thanks."

"Please settle down everyone," the teacher called from the front of the class.

The few students standing sat in their seats as requested. Mr. Wilkinson started to lecture the class on the importance of punctuation. Rocky exhaled and used his hand to keep his head up. Adam fiddled with his pen while half listening to the dull lecture. Tommy stared off into his own little world of filled with martial arts and cherry pies.

A half hour later, the teacher passed out a worksheet to the class. He requested that the exercise be turned in before the end of class. Adam uncapped his pen and started to work his way through the worksheet with the little information he retained for the boring lesson.

"Psst! Adam!" Rocky called from Adam's right side.

"What?" Adam responded.

"What do you call that floating comma thing?"

Adam looked puzzle for a moment. "What?"

"You know, the floating comma. It's in those dohickies like 'can't' 'won't' and 'don't'."

Adam thought for a moment before laughing. "An apostrophe?"

"Yeah, a post trophy," Rocky said scribbling down the word on his worksheet.

Adam shook his head and laughed again. He went back to working on his assignment.

"Aw man," Tommy mumbled rubbing his eraser across his paper. He blew the eraser bits off of his desk top and went back to writing. English really wasn't his subject.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked.

"I can't get this junk to sound right," Tommy replied.

"Let me see," Adam requested.

Tommy gingerly handed his paper to Adam. He watched his face for a reaction to his writing. He was relieved when Adam didn't start laughing.

"Not too bad. If you take out this second sentence, it'll flow better," Adam said handing the paper back to Tommy.

He rubbed his eraser over the second sentence and read it to himself. He grinned when his paragraph didn't sound nearly as stupid and redundant as before.

"Thanks, man."

"No problem."

The shrill ringing of the bell sounded throughout the classroom.

"Put your assignments on my desk before you leave and have a nice day!" Mr. Wilkinson yelled over the stamping feet and shuffling papers.

"I'm not done!" Rocky said pounding his fist on the desk.

XXXXX

Tommy grabbed an apple and slid his tray down the lunch line. He grabbed a bottle of juice and moved down towards the cashier.

The mature woman pressed a few buttons on the cashier register. "2 bucks, hon."

Tommy patted the back of jeans for his wallet. When he didn't feel anything, he reached into his front pocket hoping to find a few loose bills. He groaned and looked towards the sky.

"I forgot my money," Tommy said.

"Sorry, Cutie - no freebies."

"I got it," Tommy heard from behind him. He turned around to see two guys and a girl patiently waiting with their lunches on their trays.

"You don't have to do that," Tommy said.

"Consider it a thank you for helping me with my locker," Adam smiled and handed the cashier a five dollar bill.

The cashier rang up Adam's lunch with Tommy's and took the money from his hand. She gave him his change and a smile.

"Thank you," Adam said picking up his tray.

"I'll pay you back," Tommy insisted.

Adam shook his head. "It's ok."

"But…"

"Tommy, it's ok. Adam's dad is Mr. Moneybags. He should be buying lunch for all of us," Aisha quipped.

"No way! I couldn't afford lunch for this human garbage disposal," Adam said jerking his thumb in Rocky's direction.

Rocky snorted and picked up his lunch tray. "Ha. Ha. Ha. I have to eat or I'll starve."

"You? Starve? Never. You don't even give your stomach enough time to growl," Aisha said.

The four teenagers laughed and moved away from the lunch line. Aisha, Adam, and Rocky started to drift away from Tommy as they tried to locate an empty lunch table for the three of them.

Tommy stopped walking when he saw the group standing in the middle of the cafeteria. "Why don't you guys come sit with us?"

Adam, Aisha, and Rocky eyes lit up at the offer.

"Thanks man," Rocky smiled.

They followed Tommy across the cafeteria to a round table near a window. Kimberly sat across from Billy with four empty seats remaining at their table. Tommy took a seat next to Kim and gave her the cookie she requested.

"Thanks," Kim said.

Rocky pulled out a seat next to Tommy and sat down to eat his food. Aisha sat next to Kim while Adam took the last remaining seat. He felt awkward sitting in the seat where their predecessors probably ate lunch every day. He wasn't trying to replace Zack in their civilian lives too. The six teenagers quietly ate their lunch.

"How are you three enjoying your first day of Angel Grove High?" Billy asked breaking the silence.

"I love it," Aisha said.

"Oh! I meant to ask you if you saw the sign for the weekend sale at the mall!" Kim said looking at Aisha expectantly.

Aisha's eyes lit up when she heard the word "mall". "Of course!"

"Two for one!" Kim and Aisha said at the same time.

"Girls…" Rocky said shaking his head and taking a bite of his chicken finger.

"What was that, Rockwell?" Aisha asked looking towards Rocky.

Rocky curled his lip when he heard his full name. "Nothing."

"Thought so."

The table laughed at Aisha and Rocky's antics. He couldn't get away with a side comment or a mumble around Aisha.

XXXXX

Adam slammed his hands on the mat when he landed on his ass again. He couldn't get a point on Tommy if he tried. Tommy snickered and offered Adam his hand. He grasped Tommy's hand and pulled himself to his feet.

"Not bad," Tommy said.

"Are you kiddin'? I suck next to you," Adam said with his lopsided smile.

"No you don't! You're really good."

"Thanks. I need work though."

Tommy shrugged. "We all do."

"You gotta teach me that jump kick," Adam said.

"Sure, man. That's my signature," Tommy said.

Adam playfully rubbed his side. "I feel it."

They shared a small laugh.

"Sorry 'bout that. I get a little too into it."

"Well, if it isn't the old geek and the new geek," a condescending voice called.

Tommy rolled his eyes while Adam frowned. They slowly turned around to see Bulk and Skull looking just as ridiculous as they usually did.

"I'm not a geek," Adam said.

"Yes, you are a geek, geek. A skinny geek at that. You look like a black stick," Bulk sneered.

Skull let out a high pitch giggle. "A black stick 'cause he's wearing black. That's a good one, Bulkie."

Adam looked down at his bare arms. He did look thin in this particular tank top.

"Bulk, why don't you leave him alone?" Tommy said taking a step forward.

"Are you gonna make me, pretty boy?" Bulk replied.

"You're gonna see how pretty I make you if you don't back the fuck off."

Bulk didn't move for a moment. He gauged the seriousness in Tommy's voice and the fire in his eyes.

"You don't have to take that from this twerp," Skull said.

"You're right…c'mon Skull. We have more important things to do," Bulk said.

"We're leaving?"

"Yes, moron, we're leaving."

"You're lucky we're leaving, Oliver," Skull said pointing at Tommy.

Tommy snorted dismissively. "No, _you're_ lucky you're leaving."

Bulk returned his snort before turning to walk away with Skull. Adam swore he could see a vein bulging out of Tommy's neck. The White Ranger's frown made deep wrinkles in his forehead.

'_That can't be healthy,' _Adam thought.

"Thanks," Adam said aloud.

"No problem. Those guys are jerks. They're just talking shit because you're new. You really should stand up to them."

Adam shrugged. "He's right though - I am skinny."

"He's the one with low esteem. That's why he's always trying to trash ours. I'm sick of it."

"Do you need some water?" Adam quipped with a smile.

Tommy let Adam's infectious smile bring one to his own face.

"Sounds good right about now," Tommy said.

'_Bulk's so stupid,' _Tommy thought as he followed Adam to the table where their belongings sat. He let his eyes looked down Adam's body. _'Yeah, he's a little thin side but he's also really trim! He looks great in black.'_ Tommy frowned at his own thought as he took a sip out of his water bottle. He didn't know where the last part came from but he couldn't disagree.

"So how about that kick?" Adam said pulling his lips from his bottle.

"Yeah," Tommy said putting down his bottle and towel.

They walked back to the center of the mats. Tommy demonstrated the kick. Adam attempted to copy but it ended awkwardly.

"Almost! Jump higher and do it like you mean it!" Tommy said before doing the kick again with a loud call.

Adam attempted the move again. It wasn't as awkward as before but Tommy still wasn't satisfied.

"C'mon. Say it!" Tommy grinned.

Adam performed the kick again while imitating Tommy's loud call. He laughed and looked at Tommy for approval.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

XXXXX

Kim turned on the balance beam and nearly lost her footing when she saw Tommy in Bulk's face. She continued to watch the scene as she walked across the beam.

"Wow, you're so good," Aisha said in amazement.

"Thanks," Kim said sitting on the beam.

"How long have you been at it?"

Kim took her eyes off of Tommy once she saw Bulk and Skull retreat. "Long time. Since I was 6."

"That's so neat. I can't even walk a straight line," Aisha said rolling her eyes. "Are you going pro?"

Kim shrugged. "I would but I have too much going on. I'd love to though."

"You should do it, girl."

"Now you sound like Jason," Kim giggled swinging her legs back and forth.

"Miss him?"

Kim nodded. "Yeah, I do but hey." She jumped down from the balance beam. "What can you do?"

Aisha smiled, "We can get something to drink."

"I like your thinking."

They made their way to the main counter and ordered a few drinks. They thanked Ernie and carried the drinks to the table where Rocky and Billy sat.

"Quittin' time!" Rocky announced taking a glass of juice from the tray.

"You have to finish if you want a satisfactory grade, Rocky," Billy said.

"I got all night to finish."

Kim turned around just in time to see Tommy stumble back. He put a hand on his side and grinned at Adam. They slapped each five with a laugh.

"You guys thirsty?" Kim asked holding up a cup.

"Yeah!" Tommy answered.

"No thanks. I got my water," Adam replied following Tommy to the table.

"Hope you guys aren't too tired. We have a training session today," Kim said lowly.

"Training? Today?" Rocky asked matching her volume.

"Yeah, this was just a warm up. I thought Tommy told you," Kim said looking at her boyfriend.

Tommy slowly looked up at the group and took his lips off of his straw. "Um, right. Guys, we're training today."

Kim slapped the White Ranger's arm and rolled her eyes. "He was supposed to tell you yesterday."

"Sorry," Tommy said.

"I'm still up for it," Aisha said.

"Me too," Rocky agreed.

"Will we need our…" Adam gestured as if he was morphing.

"Most likely," Billy answered. He leaned forward and whispered, "Is something wrong with your morpher?"

Adam shook his head and looked down at his lap. He looked back up at his team before speaking again. "I left it at home."

"That's not good," Kim said in a sang-song voice.

"You should always have it on your person," Billy said.

"Yeah, I know. I just forgot it because I was running late this morning," Adam said. "I'll go get it now."

"Maybe you should…" Kim pointed to her communicator.

Adam flashed her a warily look. "I'll walk. It's not that far."

"Meet us at the Commander Center," Billy whispered in the same low volume voice.

Adam stood up from his seat. "Ok."

"Wait! Someone should go with you," Aisha said.

"Why don't you go, Mr. Forgetful?" Kim said to Tommy.

"Sure," Tommy said with a shrug.

"Great. Consider Tommy your personal escort, Adam."

"Alright," Adam replied with a laugh. "Come on."

They watched Tommy and Adam quickly make their way towards the exit of the Juice Bar before turning back to one another.

"You two have yours, correct?" Billy asked.

Rocky and Aisha nodded.

"Good, then let's get out of here," Kim suggested.

XXXXX

"So why don't you like to teleport?" Tommy asked as he and Adam cut through the park.

"It makes me feel all…" Adam made a sound and placed a hand on his stomach. "…strange."

Tommy smiled. "I remember that feeling."

"Yeah, so I don't do it unless I have to go to the Command Center."

"You'll get over it - trust me - the more you do it, the easier it'll get. And Zordon lets us use it pretty freely. I call it one of the perks since we don't get paid."

"Sounds cool," Adam said and looked down at his walking feet. "Sorry you had to walk all the way over here, man."

"Don't sweat it, bro. We're pretty protective of you guys."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're so new and Zedd's gonna try to take advantage of that. I can't help but feel responsible - which is why you should always keep your morpher with you."

"I really did mean to bring it. Between trying to tie my shoes and eat breakfast, I forgot," Adam said.

"It's ok. My mom found my morpher so I can't really talk," Tommy laughed.

Adam laughed. "Seriously? What'd she say?"

"Nothing. It just ended up back in my room."

"Think she knows?"

Tommy shrugged. "Probably but she hasn't said anything."

"That's crazy. I couldn't imagine what my mom would say if she found my Power Morpher. I hope I don't have to find out."

Tommy nodded and looked around. "How far is your house anyway?"

Adam pointed to a house down the street. "Right there."

Tommy nodded. "Nice house. Not too far from mine."

"Oh yeah?"

"I live in that direction. Couple blocks tops," Tommy said pointing north.

"Sweet! Who else lives near here…besides Rocky and Aisha."

"Kim lives down the street from me and Billy lives the next block over."

"Convenient."

Once they arrived at the front door of Adam's house, the Black Ranger pulled his house key from his book bag and unlocked the door. He stepped into the house and waved his new friend inside. Tommy looked around the interior of the home.

"Still unpacking huh?" Tommy asked when he saw boxes lining the walls of each room.

"Unfortunately," Adam grumbled. "I'd give you the grand tour but…"

"I understand."

Adam jumped when he suddenly heard his named being yelled from another room. A few moments later, a woman emerged from the dining room.

"Adam?"

"Yes, Mom," Adam answered.

"You have to…oh! Who might you be?" Mrs. Park said upon seeing Tommy standing next to Adam.

"This is Tommy Oliver."

Tommy instantly held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"So respectful," Mrs. Park exhaled with a smile and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"We're just coming to get something out of my room then we're leaving," Adam said.

Adam's mother eyed him curiously. "Ok but I would like you home at a decent hour tonight. You have unpacking to do and it's a school night."

"I'll try my best," Adam said.

"That is all I ask of you," Grace said with a sigh. She looked around the room. "If you boys will excuse me, I have more unpacking to do."

"Dad's not helping?" Adam said.

"No but he won't be able to complain when he can't find anything," Grace said with a wink. "Nice meeting you again, Tommy."

"You too!" Tommy smiled.

"C'mon," Adam said starting to climb the stairs.

Tommy followed closely behind as they made their way to what he assumed was Adam's bedroom. They entered the box filled room. The combination of bare furniture and boxes made the room feel less welcoming than it should be.

'_I gotta clean up tonight. This is starting to bother me,' _Adam thought as he looked around.

"Man, your mom's so pretty," Tommy commented. "You look like her."

Adam turned and look at him before breaking out in his trademark smile. "Funny, dude. Real funny."

Tommy laughed. "I'm actually being serious."

'_Did I just say that he's pretty too? Aw man,' _Tommy thought suddenly.

Adam smiled at him again. "I think I put it here." He reached between two stacks of boxes to grab his Power Morpher from the dresser. "Got it."

"Alright, let's go," Tommy said raising his communicator.

Adam sighed loudly. "Ok."

XXXXX

"You can have the power of the universe in your hands but if you don't know how to use it, you won't last very long," Tommy said pacing in front of Adam, Aisha, and Rocky. He looked at the group before continuing. "You three clearly have what it takes to make it or else Zordon wouldn't have picked you."

"If you're ever attacked you can't be 'meek'," Kim said looking at Adam. "You can't be 'funny'." She looked towards Rocky. "You can't be 'cute'." She glanced at Aisha.

"You have to defend yourself and the civilians around you. Through these sessions, you'll learn how to use your powers. The sooner you learn that, the sooner you'll be able to protect yourself," Tommy explained.

Adam, Aisha, and Rocky nodded.

"Don't ever think they'll be a time when you're safe," Tommy laughed humorless. "Once you have the Power, there's no such thing as being _safe_. Lord Zedd will hunt you. He'll hunt you in your dreams and he'll hunt your families if you're not careful. And he'll always be sending something after you. Things you've probably never imagined in forms you won't always be able to look at."

Kim looked at the three new Power Rangers. She stood in front of Rocky. "Pretend I'm Goldar and you're alone - what do you do?"

Rocky laughed loudly and put a hand on Kimberly's shoulder. "You're a little short."

Kim glared at the new Red Ranger and threw him across the room by his arm. Rocky hit the padded wall and slide down to the floor. His eyes held a certain look of bewilderment.

"What the fuck, Kim?"

"Kim who? I'm Goldar!" she yelled and crossed the room. She sent a kick towards his midsection. "You think you're tough because you got away from a snake huh?"

Rocky blocked her kicks and quickly got to his feet. He picked up his Power Sword from the ground and held it toward the Pink Ranger. "Come on, Goldie."

Adam, Aisha, Tommy, and Billy watched the Red and Pink Ranger battle one another. Tommy turned around and kicked the Black Ranger's legs causing him to fall to the ground with a yell.

"Ow!"

Tommy held Saba to Adam's throat. "You think they're gonna wait 'til you're on your guard?"

"No," Adam grunted. "Can you get your weapon away from my throat?"

Tommy smiled. "Make me."

Adam picked up the Power Axe and used it to move Saba away from his neck. He pulled himself to his feet and locked eyes with the White Ranger. He gently swung his axe from side to side.

"Let's go," he said.

Billy separated his lance and waved the Yellow Ranger closer. Aisha gripped her daggers and cautiously approached the Blue Ranger.

Rocky was having a hard time keeping the petite Pink Ranger away from him. She was agile and stronger than he expected. He swung his sword at her only to have it meet her bow. She knocked the sword out of his hand and kicked near his private regions.

Aisha was having a hard time counteracting Billy's maces with her daggers. Due to her inexperience with the weapon, Billy was able to knock them from her hands with ease. She evaded a mighty swing from his mace and rolled away.

Adam was engaged in a sword fight with Tommy even though neither warrior wielded the traditional sword. Adam dodged all of Tommy's attempts at slicing him in half. He was fast enough not to take a hit but not quite fast enough to get the upper hand on the veteran commander. Tommy suddenly swung and let his fist connect with Adam's abdomen stunning the rookie. Adam gripped his midsection and stumbled back. He looked up just in time to see Tommy coming at him with Saba. He quickly ducked to avoid a blow to the head before rolling between Tommy's open legs and springing to his feet.

"Fast," Tommy commented attacking the Black Ranger again.

Adam protected himself with the axe emitting fiery sparks every time the weapons made contact. Tommy noticed that Adam had already improved his weaponry in the short time they'd been training. Tommy brought Saba down against the Power Axe and attempt to use brute force to overpower his new teammate. Adam surprisingly matched the force behind Tommy's weapon. He once again fell to the floor when Tommy kicked his legs from underneath him.

"You're just gonna lay there?" Tommy asked smugly.

Adam threw the axe away from himself and got to his feet. "Fuck this!" he yelled in frustration.

The rest of the Rangers stopped fighting when they heard the frustrated outburst.

"What?" Tommy asked.

"You guys are going too hard on us!" Adam yelled before stomping towards the exit.

Tommy looked towards Kim and Rocky and shrugged. She gestured for him to follow the angry Black Ranger.

"Keep going," Tommy commanded as he tucked Saba away. He jogged toward the exit and out of the room in time to see Adam's black armor fade away. "Wait!"

"Leave me alone," Adam said walking down the corridor.

"Why are you mad? You're doing great."

"No, I wasn't. I suck and I don't even know why you guys want me on your team."

Tommy frowned. "Stop walking." His frown deepened when Adam continued to walk. He gripped his morpher and powered down. "I said stop!"

Adam stopped walking when he heard Tommy yell at him.

"What's wrong with you?" Tommy asked once he caught up to Adam.

"I can't do this," Adam said shaking his head.

"You can't have a defeated attitude or you've already lost! You _can_ do this."

"No, I can't," Adam disagreed.

"Just try! You think we came out of the gate as Rangers?"

Adam paused for a few moment. "You want me to fight monsters and aliens and whatever else Zedd sends."

Tommy cracked a smile. "Yeah."

"And that makes me nervous."

Tommy laughed. "It's ok if you lose your nerve every now and then but you can't just walk out."

Adam ran a hand through his short, dark hair and sighed. "Alright."

"Alright, man," Tommy said walking Adam back towards the training room.

As soon as they entered the room, Rocky landed right at their feet. The new Red Ranger huffed and slowly got to his feet.

"Your girl's so violent, Tommy," Rock mumbled.

"It's hot right?" Tommy quipped.

"C'mon Rocky! Quit being such a girl!" Kim yelled from across the room.

"She's pushy too," Rocky said running back towards the Pink Ranger.

"Let's start again," Tommy said pulling out his morpher.

"I guess," Adam said.

XXXXX

Kimberly sat at a table in the "break room" connected to the locker room at Command Center. She listened to her CD player as she tried to comb her wet hair. She looked up when she saw a couple of people enter the room out of the corner of her eye. A smile came across her face.

"Hey guys," Kim greeted with a smile.

Aisha and Adam returned her smile as they grabbed a yogurt and an apple from the refrigerator in the room. They took a seat at the round table where Kim sat.

"Nice slippers, Kim," Adam laughed at her fuzzy pink slippers.

"Thank you," Kim said proudly.

"They are cute though," Aisha commented.

"I know! Hey, I think they have a yellow pair at the store where I got 'em."

Aisha's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah! We can so get them when we go to the mall."

"Oh Lordy," Adam mumbled as he peeled the metallic wrapper off the top of his yogurt.

Kim playfully glared his way before smiling. "You guys did great today. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," Aisha said beaming.

"Billy said the same thing," Adam added.

"Because it's the truth. We didn't pick up on this stuff as fast as you did. We played some serious catch up," Kim spoke. Her smile grew when she saw Tommy entered the room.

"Hey guys," Tommy called grabbing a pudding out of the refrigerator. "Hello Beautiful."

"Hello yourself," Kim replied.

"Hey, you guys did really, really awesome in there today," Tommy said to Aisha and Adam.

"It's unanimous! We must have really done a good job," Aisha laughed and looked at Adam.

Everyone exploded with laughter when a loud groan suddenly sounded. Billy patted Rocky on the back as they entered the room.

"I think you pierced my armor," Rocky groaned at Kimberly.

"Me?" she asked innocently.

Rocky glared at her as he took two pills from Billy. "Yes, you. I don't lose to girls."

"Well, ya did this time," Kim said.

"Your healing factor should start momentarily and repair you by morning. In the meantime, you can take these painkillers," Billy explained.

"Thanks," Rocky said grabbing a water bottle out of the refrigerator.

"I guess we should head home," Tommy said looking at Kim.

"Definitely. It's a school night and I haven't started my paper yet," Kim replied with a sigh as she pulled her hair back.

Rocky groaned again.

"You ok?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, I just remembered I gotta finish that math homework when I get home," Rocky said.

"A different kind of groan," Aisha laughed.

"I gotta go finish unpacking my room," Adam said.

"I have a few chapters to absorb before retiring myself," Billy said.

Tommy stood up and held his hand out for the Pink Ranger. "Teleport you home?"

"Always," she grinned. "See you guys later!" She disappeared along with Tommy.

"I'm out too," Rocky said pressing a button on his communicator and teleporting out.

"Likewise," Billy said teleporting out.

Adam was about to teleport out but found himself wrapped in a hug. He was surprised for a moment but returned the hug.

"You seem like you needed that," Aisha said pulling back.

"Thanks. I did," Adam replied.

"If you hadn't walked out, I was going to. Don't feel bad." Aisha raised her communicator. "Bumblebee powers, stage out!"

Adam laughed and raised his communicator. "Stage out!"

Aisha and Adam disappeared in yellow and black lights.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Last chapter of PreSlash. Thanks for your reviews. As usual, standard disclaimers apply. I don't own shit and I'm not making shit.

Part 2

"It's the color of a tomato, has wheels, and can travel at great speeds," Kim said.

"A picture of this is all you need," Adam read. "What do you think it is?"

"A stop sign on roller skates - I don't know," Tommy laughed and shrugged.

Kim rolled her eyes and looked around. "That's it!" She beamed and ran toward a car parked on the street. "It's a _red_ car. Tommy, get out the camera."

Adam walked toward the car when Kim excitedly waved him over.

"Alright, one picture coming up," Tommy said holding up the instant camera. "Say scavenger hunt!"

"Scavenger hunt!" Adam and Kim yelled with a smile.

Tommy snapped the picture and grinned. "Got it!"

"Yes! I just love scavenger hunts!" Kim cheered and threw her arms in the air.

"This is fun," Adam said.

"I'm so glad you're on our team this year, Adam," Kim said looking at the Black Ranger.

"I just hope I can help you guys win."

Kim looked at her watch. "Oh my gosh. Alright, we don't have that much time left. How many clues do we have left?"

"Ok, um, we've got ..6 rhyming clues left. Billy and the others have the other half of the list," Tommy said.

"So what's the next clue?" Kim asked.

Tommy pulled out the list of clues. "Oh ok. It's small but makes a noise that can stop a game - people can do it just the same."

"Man, this isn't easy," Adam said.

Kim got an idea. "Alright, c'mon! I think I have an idea."

"Man, she loves this game," Tommy pointed out as he watched his girlfriend take off.

"I hadn't noticed," Adam replied with a laugh.

He and Tommy picked up speed in an effort to catch up to the Pink Ranger. They jogged across the park and headed back towards the school. Once inside, the three teens returned to a moderate walk. Tommy looked down at the clue in his hands as he pondered the meaning behind the intentionally cryptic words. He shifted the piece of paper and noticed that the picture that he'd just taken had developed.

'_Aw, they look beautiful,' _Tommy thought as he gazed at the image. _'I mean, she looks beautiful. It's not that he looks bad but…can guys be beautiful?'_

"Figure it out yet?" Adam asked quietly.

Tommy gave Adam a questioning look. "Excuse me?

"I said did you figure out what the clue meant?"

Tommy shook his head. "Nah, not yet. I'm not that great at this stuff."

"Me neither. I get too many pictures in my head."

"It's small and makes noise," Tommy thought aloud as he put the clue on top of the photograph. "That could be anything."

"Don't forget that it stops a game too," Kim said.

"What stops a game?" Tommy asked.

"Cheating," Adam quipped.

Tommy laughed. "Sure does."

"Let me see that clue," Kim requested.

Tommy handed her the paper as they walked down the hall.

"Ok, it's small and makes a noise that can stop a game - people can do it just the same," Kim read aloud as she pondered the clue once again.

The group stopped pondering and walking when they heard Tommy's communicators chime.

"Talk about a noise that can stop a game," Adam mumbled.

"Come in. We read you," Tommy spoke into his communicator.

"This is Billy. We just got attacked by Putties in the park. They stole our bag with all our scavenger hunt items in it."

"Man, I knew this day was going too well," Kimberly openly griped.

"Are you guys alright?" Billy's voice said from the communicator.

"Yeah, we're fine. Zedd's gotta be up to something big time. We better be ready for Zordon's signal," Tommy said.

"Affirmative, Tommy. I think it's a good idea if we stay in touch," Billy said.

"Gotcha, Billy. Hey, good luck with the hunt."

"Thanks, you guys too."

"Alright you guys," Kim said when the transmission ended. "Let's get back to the game."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tommy took the bag of items from the woman at the scavenger hunt table. He nodded this thank you and shifted through the bag looking for a particular item. He was pretty sure he would end up returning all the borrowed items to their rightful owners. He came across the picture of Kim and Adam and laughed to himself.

"Is that the stuff?" Kim asked snapping Tommy out of his thoughts.

He looked at her before stealthily tucking the picture into his back pocket. "Yeah!"

"I need my flipper back," she smiled.

Tommy handed her the bag and prayed she didn't see him steal that picture. He wasn't even sure why he felt like he had to steal it.

"I need my skeleton flash light!" Rocky exclaimed trying to stick his hands in the bag.

"Everyone's gonna get their stuff back. I gotta return that whistle to coach before I go home."

"That was some awesome teamwork," Aisha said.

"I concur," Billy agreed.

"I have an idea," Kim said. "How about all of you guys come over to celebrate? We can order pizza, eat junk food, and hang out."

"I'm in," Tommy said.

"Me too," Billy said.

Rocky, Adam, and Aisha all hesitated prompting Kim to eye them suspiciously. It would be the first time they'd ever been invited to any of their new friends' home for such a gathering. Was she even extending the invitation to them?

"What about you guys?" Kim asked looking at the new Rangers.

Aisha was the first to nod. "Sure."

"I'll be there," Rocky agreed.

"Adam," Kim said looking at the quiet Black Ranger.

Tommy silently hoped Adam's answer would be yes.

"Why not?" Adam said with a smile.

"Yay! Ok everyone go home, change clothes - do whatever you have to do but make sure you're at my house by 8. Anybody need directions?" Kim asked looking toward her three new friends again. "Alright, here's everyone's stuff and remember…8 sharp."

After the group split after they collected their personal belongings they contributed to the scavenger hunt as well as the items they borrowed. Tommy went to fish the picture out of his back pocket but stopped when he realized he wasn't alone.

"Are you going home?" Kim asked the White Ranger.

"Yeah, I got some stuff I've got to take care of before we meet at your place."

Kim titled her head as she looked up at her boyfriend. "You aren't mad they're coming over right? I mean if you had something planned, I can always cancel."

Tommy laughed. "No, it's ok. I'm excited."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Just make sure there's no anchovies on the pizza."

Kim giggled and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend for a brief hug.

"See you later, Handsome," she said.

"You too," Tommy said.

Kim walked off and Tommy headed for the hidden alcove. He looked around for a moment before pressing the appropriate button on his communicator to send himself home. He disappeared in a flash of bright white and reappeared inside of his bedroom.

Tommy sighed and removed his jacket. He took a seat on his bed and stared at the wall in front of him. He suddenly remember the picture he stole from the scavenger hunt.

'_I didn't steal it. It didn't belong to anybody,' _Tommy thought.

For some reason, he didn't feel guilty for taking the photo without telling anyone but he did feel guilty about his reasoning. He felt even guilier for lying to his girlfriend about wanting this time alone to explore his new, little secret. He felt a group of butterflies swarm into his stomach when he looked at the photo. He had plenty of photos of Kimberly, why was this one making him feel any different?

"Aww man!" Tommy said aloud and fell back on his bed.

He held the picture in front of his face and stared at it for a moment. He traced the boy's face with his index finger and grinned. His grinned turned into a low chuckle as he stared at the smile on Adam's face. No one should have a smile that infectious.

'_What am I doing?' _

He let his eyes wonder to Kimberly. She is his girlfriend and he loved her but it wasn't long before his eyes went back to Adam. He let out another chuckle before frowning and lowering the picture.

'_I'm giggling over a guy…I need help.'_

He tossed the picture aside and rolled away from it. Zedd must have cast a spell over it to make him obsessed. There was no other reason why he'd sneak away to his room just to look at his male teammate.

'_It's just Adam. He's a friend and he looks cute in that picture.'_

Tommy frowned at his thought. Cute? Did he really just think something was cute? Was that something really another guy?

'_I can think Adam's attractive. There's nothing strange about that.'_

Tommy placed his hand over his abdomen and tried to will those stupid butterflies away. Unfortunately, they seemed to get worse with every thought.

'_He's so soft like…ok maybe not soft but he's very…gentle. He's like a quiet strength. The type that's strong when you need him to be but docile at the same time. I mean…fuck!'_

Tommy covered his face with a pillow and screamed.

'_I gotta stop. I have a girlfriend. Boy, do I need a nap,' _Tommy thought as she tucked the pillow under his head.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep away these strange thoughts and stupid butterflies fluttering in his gut. At least, he'd won the scavenger hunt. Now, all Tommy needed to find was his sanity.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, Tommy found himself sitting in the living room with the rest of his team. He silently watched Adam sitting across him on a sofa between Aisha and Rocky. He tried to pretend he was paying attention to the stupid movie playing on the television screen but his attention remained on the boy.

'_He's awfully timid,' _Tommy thought as he watched Adam's introvert nature stand out amongst the extrovert personalities of Aisha and Rocky.

"Look what I got," Aisha said holding up her empty soda bottle.

"Spin the bottle?" Kim asked.

Aisha nodded enthusiastically. She slid off the couch and to the floor.

"Come on, Aisha. There's 4 guys and 2 girls…that's kind of gay don't you think?" Rocky said.

"Shut up. It'll be better than watching this dumb movie," Aisha responded.

"I agree," Kim said shutting off the VCR and going to the floor.

"While the symbolism was great, the film did leave much to be desired," Billy said.

"What he said," Tommy agreed.

He joined Kimberly and Aisha on the floor. Billy, Rocky and Adam followed suit and formed a circle in the middle of the room.

"Guess I'll go first. Here goes," she said spinning the bottle. She smiled when the bottle stopped to point at Billy.

"Ooooh, Billy's your first victim," Rocky hissed.

Billy blushed and laughed nervously.

"I really remember telling you to be quiet," Aisha said half jokingly. She and Billy crawled towards the middle of the circle. She placed a hand on his cheek and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

"Score!" Rocky shouted causing Adam to laugh.

"Whatever, it's my turn," Kim said once Billy and Aisha returned to their positions.

The Pink Ranger spun the bottle and waited for it to stop. It seemed to go around for an extended amount of time before almost landing back on herself. Unfortunately, it stopped short and landed on Aisha.

"Looks like you two gotta make out," Rocky said rubbing his hands together.

Kim glared at the Red Ranger. "Remind me not to invite you to anything else." She turned around and gave Aisha a light peck on the lips.

"Not quite the show you were hopin' for," Adam snickered.

Tommy sighed loudly. "My turn." He leaned forward to spin the bottle. He bit his bottom lip as it started to slow down and stop on the person directly across from him.

'_Aw man!' _Tommy thought as he looked from the bottle to Adam's now blushing face.

"Oops!" Aisha said through her laughter.

Tommy licked his lips in anticipation.

"Nuh uh! None of that," Rocky said shaking his head. He stuck out his foot and used the toe of his shoe to turn the bottle toward Kimberly. "Have at it."

Adam relaxed and tried to laugh off the blush in his cheek and the fluttering in his stomach. Tommy's eyes lingered on him before turning to his girlfriend. He pressed his lips to hers as he had done plenty of times before. What a boring turn.

It was now Billy's turn to spin the bottle. As luck would have it, the bottle pointed back at him. He was grateful as he had already had enough kisses for the evening. He playfully kissed his own hand before passing the bottle of Rocky. Rocky spun the bottle and groaned when it landed on Kimberly.

"Don't make that face. This isn't a walk in the park for me either," she said going to the middle of the circle. She closed her eyes and ended up kissing Rocky on the tip of his nose.

"Hey! Do over! That wasn't even my lips!" Rocky said in outrage.

Kim shrugged. "Sorry. That's the way the cookie crumbles."

"Shit," Rocky grumbled and returned to his spot.

"Your turn Adam," Tommy said before he could stop himself.

Adam looked at the former Green Ranger and nodded. He reached out and spun the bottle. It went around and around before stopping on Aisha.

"Come to Mama," Aisha quipped leaning toward Adam.

Adam laughed and met her halfway. They exchanged a friendly peck on the lips and laughed aloud.

"Well Aisha, that had to be the worst game of Spin the Bottle ever. Thanks. No, I really mean it," Rocky said rolling his eyes.

"You know what? I don't see you suggesting anything," Aisha retorted.

Rocky picked up a slice of pizza out of his own personal box and took a bite. "My suggestion wouldn't suck though."

"Ok guys, how about this other movie. I heard this one was actually good," Kim said getting to her feet and switching out the video tapes.

Everyone got comfortable in their places on the floor. Adam grabbed a pillow from the couch and laid down in front of the TV.

"Rocky, slow down," Adam laughed.

Rocky looked at his friend before grinning. He held the pizza box toward Adam. "Want some?"

Adam reached into the box and grabbed a slice of pizza. "Thanks."

The room grew relatively quiet with an occasion outburst of laughter. Halfway through the movie, Kim glanced at Tommy to see him staring coldly at the television.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Tommy looked confused for a moment. "What? No, I'm fine."

"Come on," Kim said getting to her feet.

"What?" Tommy whispered when Aisha shushed him.

"Come on," Kim repeated grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room.

"Where are they going?" Adam asked as he watched Tommy and Kim leave the room.

Aisha snickered before answering, "Probably to do what couples do."

'_Whatever that is,' _Adam thought and went back to watching the movie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

A couple of hours later, Adam shifted out of his sleep. He pulled his head out of his pillow and looked around the room to see the rest of his friends sleeping. Cringing at the extreme dryness in his throat, Adam got to his feet and padded his way towards the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water to hydrate his dry throat.

"Hey," Tommy called entering the room.

"Hey," Adam replied pouring himself another glass of water and sitting at the table.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"I was but I have this habit of sleeping with my mouth open…"

Tommy rubbed his throat. "Ouch."

"Yeah," Adam said holding up his glass of water. "What about you?

Tommy poured himself a glass of water and sat down across from the Black Ranger. He made eye contact for a brief moment. "Um, Goldar caught me in the back so I can't get comfortable."

Adam hissed lowly. "Man, that sucks." He picked up a deck of cards that sat in the middle of the table.

"Yeah. I can't stop thinking long enough to rest anyway," Tommy said.

"Something you wanna talk about?"

Tommy was slightly surprised at the sincerity in his voice. He laughed nervously and shook his head. "No but thanks anyway."

"Anytime," Adam said. He held up the deck of cards he'd been shuffling. "Tonk?"

"Sure."

Adam shuffled the cards and dealt them between himself and the White Ranger. They fanned out their cards and started to play.

"Sorry about cuttin' out on you guys earlier," Tommy said.

Adam shrugged. "You missed a good movie."

"Yeah, I walked back downstairs and you guys were out like lights," Tommy laughed

"Where'd you go anyway?" Adam asked curiously. He laughed at his own misplaced forwardness.

"Kim wanted to 'talk'."

"Everything ok?"

"You wouldn't understand," Tommy said.

"Can't argue with that, man," Adam smiled. "But if you ever think I would understand, I'm all ears."

Tommy almost considered spilling his guts. "Thanks."

'_No one would understand though.'_

Tommy sighed and tried to focus on the card game. He was tired of thinking especially after his thoughts sparked an argument between he and his girlfriend when he refused to talk about them. They were also the reason he was currently awake instead of sleeping soundly like the rest of his friends.

Tommy stole a glance at the boy sitting across from him. He smiled softly at the grin on Adam's face when he won again.

'_What a smile!'_

"Dude, you let me win!"

Tommy laughed and dropped his cards. "No, I didn't!"

"Yes you did!" Adam laughed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome but I didn't! You're just good," Tommy smiled.

Adam smiled and locked eyes with Tommy. They stared at each other for a few seconds before looking away.

Tommy awkwardly scratched the back of his head and stood up from his seat. "I'm gonna head to bed."

"Ok. Thanks for playing with me."

"It was fun."

"Yup. Goodnight," Adam said quickly trying to avoid another awkward moment.

"Goodnight." Tommy replied and instead of leaving the room like he normally would have, he stood in the kitchen doorway. He watched Adam stack the cards and wash up their drinking glasses before leaving the kitchen through the other doorway. Tommy leaned against the wall in the hall and softly hit his head against it. He quietly groaned in frustration and ran his hands through his hair.

'_I'm either gonna kill myself or stop talking to him. This is making me crazy,' _he thought. _'I never thought I was into guys but man…'_

Tommy wondered how long he could suppress these urges and desires. It wouldn't be much longer if he continued to have these types of intimate meetings with Adam.

'_I just gotta avoid him unless it's in public or Ranger stuff.' _Tommy ran his hands down his face and sighed._ 'I'm such a fucking jerk._'

Tommy shook his head and went back to the living room with the others.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Monday morning rolled around too quickly and with it, came school. Once again, Adam stood in the hallway twisting his combination lock. He frowned when the lock wouldn't open for him. He attempted to copy the trick Tommy used but to no avail.

"Oh man, not again," he mumbled in disbelief. He pulled on the lock once more before letting go. He turned his head to see Tommy coming down the hall.

'_Here's my savior.'_

"Tommy!" he called.

Tommy slowed down his walking when he heard Adam calling his name. He wanted to stop and help the Black Ranger but he remembered what he'd told himself.

'_Avoid him.'_

"Sorry, bro. Gotta go," Tommy said pointing down the hall.

"Can you help me real quick?" Adam asked.

Tommy shook his head and kept walking. "Sorry."

Adam was confused by the cold response. Tommy was glad to help him with his locker last week.

'_But I thought we were friends.'_

"We're gonna be so late!" Rocky yelled approaching Adam.

"I can't get my locker open!" Adam replied pulling on the lock for emphasis.

Rocky rolled his eyes and grabbed the lock. "What's the code?"

"38. 05. 18."

"Five….Eighteen," Rocky mumbled and pulled on the locker. He grinned when it opened on the first try. "Score!"

"It opens for everyone but me," Adam said tossing his book bag inside and quickly grabbed his books.

"Because you don't talk to it the right way," Rocky quipped.

Adam slammed his locker and locked it before taking off down the hall behind Rocky. The two rookies made it into the classroom right before Mr. Wilkinson shut the door. They quickly caught their breath and shared a high five before walking to their usual seats. Adam glanced at Tommy before sitting in the seat Rocky normally occupied while Rocky sat next to Tommy.

"'Sup, bro?" Rocky said greeting Tommy.

Tommy glanced at Adam and saw him staring at the board with disinterest. He sighed before replying, "Nothing, man."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you coming to the park with us or hanging out with Tommy and the others?" Aisha asked standing behind Adam at his locker.

"I have to choose?" Adam asked humorously as he tried to open his locker. He punched the sky when it came open on the second try.

"Not really. You just seem to be hitting it off with them lately."

Adam looked into his locker and saw two crisp dollar bills sitting on top of his books. He pulled the money out and looked it over with confusion.

'_Two bucks?'_

Realization quickly dawned upon him.

Tommy.

He shook his head and closed the locker.

'_What's that guy's problem?'_

"Adam!" Aisha called.

"Yeah! What?" he asked.

"Rocky's waiting for us!"

"So? He can wait!"

Aisha laughed. "You know how he gets. He starts…touching things…and people."

"Uh oh," Adam said following her down the hall toward the door.

Once they got to the large double doors, they spotted Rocky fiddling with the fire extinguisher. He curiously opened the door of the case.

"Rocky, leave that alone!" Aisha hissed.

"I just wanna see what it does," Rocky replied as he continued to fiddle with the extinguisher.

"Dude, it puts out fires," Adam laughed.

"I know but what does this do?" Rocky asked grabbing the extinguisher.

All three teenagers jumped when a sharp alarm blared throughout the halls. Aisha glared at Rocky and Rocky looked to Adam. Adam looked at both of his friends before running out of the door. Aisha and Rocky took a split second to react before sprinting out of the building behind the Black Ranger. The trio ran until they made it to the park. Rocky stopped running and bent over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"You _had_ to touch it," Adam said giving Rocky a slight shove.

"Yeah well, you know how I am," Rocky retorted.

"You're gonna get us suspended!" Aisha said.

Adam snorted dismissively. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"I never got us suspended…I almost got us _expelled_," Rocky said

"Rockwell, you're a lost cause," Aisha said patting her friend on the back as they walked down the sidewalk.

Rocky looked down at the petite girl. "Aisha…"

"Rockwell…"

"Spare me please," Adam said waving his hand between the two.

Rocky glared at Aisha one last time before grinning. "You two would be so bored without me."

"I'd probably be on the honor roll without you," Aisha quipped.

"Ditto," Adam said smiling at Rocky.

Rocky frowned for a moment. "But without me, we wouldn't be a threesome."

"Threesome?"

"Orgy?" Rocky tried.

"I prefer trio," Aisha said.

"Whatever we are! We wouldn't be that without me or you or you," Rocky said looking at both of his friends.

"We're a six…some now," Adam pointed out.

"Hell no! Just because we joined their clique doesn't mean ours is over! It's us three for life," Rocky said.

"Oh Lordy! For life? Sounds like a prison sentence," Aisha quipped.

"Yeah, for life. The three musketeers. The three amigos. The good." Rocky gestured toward Adam. "The bad," he said gesturing toward himself. "And the ug…"

Aisha quickly shook her head and glared at Rocky when he gestured towards her. "Don't even think about it!"

They shared a laugh and continued to walk through the park.

'_I don't need Tommy - I have friends!' _Adam thought trying to remain positive. For some reason, the thought didn't soothe him as much as it should have. He wanted to be friends with Tommy but unfortunately, the White Ranger didn't seem to want a friend right now.

**The End.**


End file.
